Name

Year

Credit

credited As

Actor Chris Pratt embraced the wacky shenanigans of the Harvard University drama group on Friday (06Feb15) as he was honoured as the 2015 Hasty Pudding Man of the Year. The Guardians of the Galaxy star donned a sleek black tuxedo for the bash at the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts campus, where he was roasted by members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals club.
Pratt joined in the fun by donning a sequined bra over his suit and showing off his lap dancing skills at the request of a student dressed in drag.
He also channelled his Parks and Recreation character Andy Dwyer's alter ego, Johnny Karate, and happily chopped slabs of wood with his hands and his head.
Speaking at the event, Pratt said, "I'm just having the best time. This has been a truly remarkable day."
The actor spent the earlier part of his day greeting kids at Boston's Christopher's Haven children's cancer facility after losing a Super Bowl wager with his fellow Marvel movie superhero Chris Evans.
Pratt was feted a week after his Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler received a one-of-a-kind Massachusetts homecoming when she was honoured as the 2015 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year.

Celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman have paid tribute to veteran comedienne Joan Rivers following her death on Thursday (04Sep14). The legendary funnywoman, 81, died at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital after she was removed from life support following a cardiac and respiratory arrest on 28 August (14).
Her daughter Melissa announced that her mum passed away just after 1pm local time, and celebrities have been paying tribute to Rivers ever since.
Fellow comedienne and longtime pal Whoopi Goldberg took to Twitter.com to share her condolences, and wrote, "My friend Joan Rivers has passed away once again to quote Billy Crystal... There are no words. Bon Voyage Joan."
News of Rivers' death comes weeks after Goldberg also paid tribute to another close friend, Robin Williams, who died last month (Aug14).
Australian actor Jackman lauded Rivers' comedic presence and wrote, "We lost one of the true originals today. Joan Rivers. A force. You will be missed," while Depp called her "An Amazing Individual", and Mel Brooks wrote, "Joan Rivers never played it safe. She was the bravest of them all. Still at the top at the end. She will be sorely missed."
Other tributes from Zoe Saldana and British comedian Ricky Gervais hit Twitter, and rocker Ozzy Osbourne thanked the late comic for being kind to his daughter Kelly - Rivers' co-host on TV show Fashion Police. He wrote, "Not only was Joan a comic genius, she was an amazing woman. Thank you for always having Kelly’s back. You will always be a legend. RIP."
Celebrities also brought levity to the tragedy of her death, recalling catty remarks Rivers had made about them on awards show red carpets. Actress Anna Kendrick said, "Being publicly told that my dress is hideous will never feel quite as awesome. You will be truly missed", singer Demi Lovato added, "RIP Joan Rivers... You made fun of my boobies just last week and it was an HONOR," and pop star Katy Perry joked, "What's the point of wearing all these dumb costumes if Joan's not here to rip them apart? RIP Joan Rivers. You are a one of a one."
Former Charmed star Rose McGowan recalled that "Joan once said I looked like a whore," and Evan Rachel Wood shared a similar sentiment, and remembered, "She once said I looked like I needed a trip to the VD (venereal disease) clinic..." before adding, "The day I was ridiculed by Joan Rivers for the way I looked was the day I felt like i made it in Hollywood."
Girls star and creator Lena Dunham even poked fun at Rivers' self-depricating extensive plastic surgery, and quipped, "I told (comedian Marc) Maron I'd have a zinger when Joan died. But I didn't think she ever would. She felt eternal, and anyway, zingers are her territory. That being said, Joan is gone but a piece of her lives on: her nose, because it's made of polyurethane."
A plethora of comedians also shared their praise for Rivers, including Kathy Griffin, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock, Cedric the Entertainer, Wanda Sykes, Arsenio Hall, Tim Allen and Kevin Hart, as well as celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, Boy George, Samuel L. Jackson, Nancy Sinatra, La Toya Jackson, Martha Stewart, Naomi Campbell, Brad Paisley, Alec Baldwin, Josh Groban, Maria Shriver, Simon Pegg, William Shatner, Ariana Grande, Vanessa Williams, Julianne Moore and John Stamos.

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//

"It's a healthy tension working together. It doesn't always go smoothly, of course, and it can be really challenging when there are differences of opinion, which of course happens. But good things always tend to come out of it, and that's the whole point." Singer Nelly Furtado enjoys working with her sound engineer husband, Demacio Castellon.

Bastille drummer Chris Wood turned sports commentator on Saturday (22Feb14) after sitting in with U.K. soccer pundit Gordon Sparks to cover his beloved Plymouth Argyle's win at Dagenham & Redbridge. The rocker made his debut as a play-by-play sidekick for BBC Radio Devon, just days after his band won the British Breakthrough Act prize at the Brit Awards.
After the thrilling game, which Plymouth won, Wood said, "You can't swear or shout at the referee and I had to contain myself when we scored, but I had a great time."
Wood had another reason to celebrate at the weekend - his band returned to the top of the U.K. albums chart on Sunday (23Feb14).

The CW
The Carrie Diaries is a fun retro series about a young girl finding her footing in big city Manhattan in the 1980s. The girl in question … Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City fame. The only issue with the series is that it’s a new take on wildly popular characters we have come to know in six seasons and two films. Since we’ve known these characters for more than 10 years, can a series really justify making changes?
The series follows Candace Bushnell’s Carrie Bradshaw’s life more closely than the version we know from television and films. However, this Carrie does call into question our perspective about the unlucky in love fashionista. Can a girl with such fabulous teen years be so relatable?
1. Carrie's Daddy Issues
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) didn’t have a dad in the HBO series. In the episode “A ‘Vogue’ Idea” she confesses that her dad abandoned her family. This explains why she was consistently drawn to older men like Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov). However, in the CW teen series, Carrie (AnnaSophia Robb) has lost her mother. Her father Tom Bradshaw (Matt Letscher) is doting, attentive, and pretty respectful. The shift does work to change the way we'd analyze the behavior of adult Carrie, just a bit.
2. How They Met
In the Sex and the City 2, Carrie describes how she met all of her friends: first Charlotte (Kristen Davis), then Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), then finally Samantha (Kim Cattrall). However, on the Carrie Diaries, young Carrie meets a young Samantha (Lindsey Gort), who is cousins with Carrie’s sex-obsessed school rival Donna LeDonna (Chloe Bridges). From a narrative perspective, it makes sense. Young Carrie has a friend like Charlotte in overachieving Mouse (Ellen Wong) and snarky Maggie Landers (Katie Findlay). Also, Samantha is a fan favorite. But it calls into question why the show would alter the canon if it would so readily pander to fans of the HBO series.
3. Carrie's Lost Virginity
Older Carrie confesses she lost her virginity in a Sean Bateman’s rec room on a ping pong table (something more or less... relatable). In The Carrie Diaries, rather than losing her virginity to her boyfriend Sebastian Kydd (Austin Butler) she loses it to a young playwright Adam Weaver (Chris Wood). This is symptomatic of the need to paint a young Carrie Bradshaw of having fabulous teenage years. If she grows up to be a “the last single girl” at 40 years old who makes poor choices with men, money, and her life the series seems more like a tragedy.
4. The Escapades of Samantha
Gort’s portrayal of Samantha is the right blend of a wink and a nod to Catrall’s unique cadence and over the top behavior with a fresh take on the character. Catrall’s Samantha represented successful women with more traditionally "masculine" attitudes on sex. Echoing adult Samantha's business savvy, Gort’s Samantha can scam her way into something fabulous. She isn’t as sex-obsessed as Catrall’s Samantha, but she does have sex pretty indiscriminately in the 1980s with AIDS on the rise. The prospect of Samantha having a ton of sex for 30 years is a little excessive if you stop to think about it.
5. Carrie Doesn’t Struggle at All
Adult Carrie is always struggling but handles it with grace. She can’t pay her bills but can use her cache in Manhattan nightlife to still live fabulously. However, young Carrie has no real problems. She’s upper-middle class, is able to accept an internship at Interview magazine during with her school schedule, and she has rich boy after rich boy interested in her. The series is lighthearted and doesn’t really offer Bradshaw any character building struggles. So why is the woman we meet in her adult years so harried?
Here's a video that shows all the similarities of the two series.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @AbsoluteCintron
//

NBC
Break out the waffles, bacon and eggs: this one's going to be emotional. On last night's Parks and Recreation, Ann and Chris finally drove away from the feral racoons and obesity epidemics that plague Pawnee in order to raise their child in Michigan, where they will be closer to her parents and the water supply isn't filled with sugar. As a result, "Ann and Chris" was a celebration of their time at the Parks Department, filled with insanely thoughtful gifts, surprise revelations, and heartbreaking goodbyes to their loved ones.
In honor of Ann Perkins and Chris Trager's last day in Pawnee and Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe's last episode of the show, we looked back at all of the bittersweet goodbyes that they shared with the people they loved and worked with. It might not be much, but it's pretty hard to out-Knope Knope. Get your tissues ready — or your gym bags filled with bras, knives and loose onions, whichever you prefer.
Ron and ChrisYou know it's a serious moment when Ron Swanson becomes physically demonstrative. His goodbye present to Chris? He shook the man's hand. Twice. Sure, he also made him a stunning wood box for Chris to keep mementos of his son's life, but the real gift was all in the handshake. Our Feelings: Like a bronzed hamburger, it was both touching and symbolic of their relationship.
Ben and AnnThey may not have been incredibly close, but they love each other for making the people they love most happy. Plus, they're always willing to share important tips for the proper care and keeping of Leslie and Chris. This week's fun facts: Julie Andrews movies make Leslie hyper, and Chris gets cranky around lunch. Our Feelings: Yeah, sure, it was sweet and all, but it was easily overshadowed by Chris' magnificent dance moves. With the right attitude, literally every song can be a dancing song.
Andy and AnnHey, remember when Ann and Andy used to date? It's cool, Andy just remembered too. He might be under the impression that she's going to Mexico, but earlier in the evening he thought "Plates" was a person's name — he gets a lot more leeway than most people when it comes to picking up on details. Our Feelings: Considering the show his pretty much forgotten that Andy and Ann lived together, it was a touching tribute to the show's first love story. You guys are the best.
Donna and AnnWhen it came to the Pawnee dating pool, there were no two bachelorettes more eligible than Donna Meagle and Ann Perkins, and last night, they finally laid down their friendly rivalry for good, so that Donna can officially run that town. Ann even managed to give her a going-away present, by saving her from wasting her time with Stephen. Good looking out. Our Feelings: Short, sweet, and full of affection. Just like Ann will never meet another Donna Meagle, Donna will never met another Ann Perkins.
Tom and AnnIt wouldn't be a Tom Haverford goodbye without the physical act of him deleting someone from his phone, a rambling story about a nightclub, a backhanded compliment, and a quippy catch-phrase to wrap it all up. Luckily, Ann appreciates the genuine sentiment beneath all of the flash. Our Feelings: A weird, rambling goodbye perfectly fitting for the weird, rambling relationship they shared. Stay golden, you two.
Jerry and AnnOh, Jerry. Despite giving one of the most heartfelt, genuinely kind speeches of the night, in which he told Ann that she was "kind, thoughtful, such a delight to have around" and that she's going to be "an incredible mother," she couldn't have been less interested. Our Feelings: It's a good thing Jerry has such a loving family.
Ron and AnnAfter interrupting Jerry's goodbye, Ron admitted to Ann that he had enjoyed "parts" of their time together, reducing both Ann and Jerry to tears. Our Feelings: We're not crying, it's just the smoke from this grill has gotten into our eyes. Ron was surprisingly open with his emotions this week, wasn't he?
NBC
Andy and ChrisOnly Andy would think the best last-minute going away present would be a Pawnee mug and a jacket Chris already owned. Hey, at least then you know he'll like it, right? God, keep up, Larry!Our Feelings: Well, you tried, Andy. And for that, both we and Chris are appreciative.
Donna and ChrisThere is literally nothing more delightful than the joy with which Chris reacts to Donna admitting that she always thought he was hot. And no, we can't blame her for copping a feel, either. Our Feelings: A perfect end the the attraction that dare not speak its name. There was no way that Donna was gonna let this one go without making some sort of a move, and so, we salute her.
April and ChrisAlthough she could anticipate everything that he was going to say to her — he saw a lot of potential in her, it was a joy to watch her blossom, blah, blah, blah — it was still touching to see April be genuinely moved by Chris' admission that he was proud of her. Our Feelings: Sometimes, overwhelming positivity and unrelenting sarcasm balance each other out perfectly, resulting in a wonderfully bittersweet moment.
Perd Hapley and AnnTonight's top story? Ann went on a date with Perd, a fact that both of them look back on fondly enough to make her appeal heartfelt enough to win him over. Although, from the sounds of it, Perd's kind of a creepy date. Who introduces a kiss like it's a news brief?Our Feelings: The story of that moment was that it was surprising and weird, and our response to that weird surprise is to laugh uncontrollably.
April and AnnEven though she spent the whole evening attempting to forcibly push Ann out of Pawnee, April couldn't help but show some genuine affection for Ann, and even managed to grit the phrase "Iloveyoutoo" through gritted teeth. In exchange, Ann gave her the best gift of all, and didn't force her to repeat it out loud. April's gift? She didn't carry out her original plan of framing Ann for murder. Our Feelings: This was almost as awesome as the time they sang "Time After Time," and since it was full of both love and open hostility, it was a wonderful ending for these two.
Leslie and ChrisThey might be the most intense characters on the show, but they both let go of that intensity for a second and instead shared a quiet, tender moment. For Chris, Leslie is the second greatest person he's ever had the joy of working with, and for Leslie, Chris is the only man who comes even remotely close to being good enough for Ann Perkins. If that's not love, we don't know what is. Our Feelings: Leslie and Chris were never particularly close, so it's fitting for them to end on the things that helped them bond: work and Ann. With one last, sad full-name-finger-gun, we salute you both, Leslie Knope and Chris Traeger.
Ben and ChrisAfter spending the entire night searching for the perfect gift to sum up his friendship with Chris, Ben finally found something that was his trademark mix of thoughtful and resourceful and recruited Ron and the rest of the guys to present Chris with a handmade memory box. They may have been forced together by circumstance, but the bond they shared was one of true friendship. Only Chris would remember 2008 as the year Ben went from being an auditor to a legend, and only Ben would drop everything in order to ensure that Chris gets the send-off he deserves. They are literally the best friends that either one of them will ever have, and their ending was the perfect mix of goofy and touching. Our Feelings: We're gathering up all of our tears in order to keep them in a wooden box. Figuratively, of course. Salt water will warp the wood.
Leslie and AnnSorry, Ben. There is only one person who is truly Leslie's soulmate, and she is a perfect sunflower. There was no way that Leslie or the show would let Ann leave without an intense, yet thoughtful grand gesture, and she really delivered last night. In addition to 103 scrapbooks and a going-away party that's actually 30 parties in one, Leslie had a surprise groundbreaking planned, to celebrate the project that first brought the two of them together. But when it seemed like the ceremony would fall apart, Ann hit back with a gift of her own, and got things done, even if that meant she had to put someone in a pregnant headlock to do so. The real treat of the episode, though, was Ann and Leslie, sitting alone in the park reminiscing about the good times they've shared and promising to always discuss Jennifer Aniston's career. Because of Ann, Leslie became more patient, and learned that a tulip skirt just isn't her shape, and because of Leslie, Ann got a lifelong friendship filled with extravagant tokens of affection and undying support. Oh, and she got that pit behind her house filled in. Friendship over. Our Feelings: Is there a lot of Sarah McLachlan playing? Because things are getting pretty emotional over here. This might actually be the one sadness that breakfast foods can't fix, but we're going to eat a giant plate of waffles anyway to celebrate Parks and Recreation's greatest friendship. We're going to miss you, Ann Perkins.
Follow @hollywood_com
//
Follow @julesemm
//

Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
For a film that involves a love triangle, mental illness, a Bohemian colony of free-spirits, an impending war and several important historical figures, the most exciting elements of Summer in February are the stunning shots of the English country and Cornish seaside. The rest of the film never quite lives up to the crashing waves and sun-dappled meadows that are used to bookend the scenes, as the entertaining opening never manages to coalesce into a story that lives up the the cinematography, let alone the lives of the people that inspired it.
Set in an Edwardian artist’s colony in Cornwall, Summer in February tells the story of A.J. Munnings (Dominic Cooper), who went on to become one of the most famous painters of his day and head of the Royal Academy of Art, his best friend, estate agent and part-time soldier Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens), and the woman whom they both loved, aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood (Emily Browning). Her marriage to Munnings was an extremely unhappy one, and she attempted suicide on their honeymoon, before killing herself in 1914. According to his journals, Gilbert and Florence were madly in love, although her marriage and his service in the army kept them apart.
When the film begins, Munnings is the center of attention in the Lamorna Artist's Colony, dramatically reciting poetry at parties and charming his way out of his bar tab while everyone around him proclaims him to be a genius. When he’s not drinking or painting, he’s riding horses with Gilbert, who has the relatively thankless task of keeping this group of Bohemians in line. Their idyllic existence is disrupted by the arrival of Florence, who has run away from her overbearing father and the fiancé he had picked out for her in order to become a painter.
Stevens and Browning both start the film solidly, with enough chemistry between them to make their infatuation interesting. He manages to give Gilbert enough dependable charm to win over both Florence and the audience, and she presents Florence as someone with enough spunk and self-possession to go after what she wants. Browning’s scenes with Munnings are equally entertaining in the first third of the film, as she can clearly see straight through all of his bravado and he is intrigued by her and how difficult she is to impress. Unfortunately, while the basis of the love triangle is well-established and entertaining, it takes a sudden turn into nothing with a surprise proposal from Munnings.
Neither the film nor Browning ever make it clear why Florence accepts his proposal, especially when they have both taken great pains to establish that she doesn’t care much for him. But once she does, the films stalls, and both Stevens and Browning spend the rest of the film doing little more than staring moodily and longingly at the people around them. The real-life Florence was plagued by depression and mental instability, but neither the film nor Browning’s performance ever manage to do more than give the subtlest hint at that darkness. On a few occasions, Browning does manage to portray a genuine anguish, but rather than producing any sympathy from the audience, it simply conjures up images of a different film, one that focused more on Florence, and the difficulties of being a woman with a mental illness at a time when both were ignored or misunderstood.
Stevens is fine, and Gilbert starts out with the same kind of good-guy appeal the won the heart of Mary Crawley and Downton Abbey fans the world over. However, once the film stalls, so does his performance, and he quickly drops everything that made the character attractive or interesting in favor of longing looks and long stretches of inactivity. He does portray a convincing amount of adoration for Florence, although that's about the only real emotion that Gilbert expresses for the vast majority of the film, and even during his love scene, he never manages to give him any amount of passion.
Cooper does his best with what he’s given, and tries his hardest to imbue the film with some substance and drama. His Munnings is by turns charming, brash, and brooding, the kind of person who has been told all of their life that they are special, and believes it. He even manages to give the character some depth, and even though he and Browning have very little chemistry, he manages to convey a genuine affection for her. It’s a shame that Munnings becomes such a deeply unlikable character, because Cooper is the only thing giving Summer in February a jolt of life – even if it comes via bursts of thinly-explained hostility. It's hard to watch just how hard he's working to connect with his co-stars and add some excitement to a lifeless script and not wish that he had a better film to show off his talents in.
Unfortunately, by the time Florence and Gilbert are finally spurred into activity, the film has dragged on for so long that you’re no longer invested in the characters, their pain, or their love story, even if you want to be. Which is the real disappointment of Summer in February; underneath the stalled plot and the relatively one-note acting, there are glimmers of a fascinating and compelling story that’s never allowed to come to the forefront.
2/5
Follow @hollywood_com
//
Follow @julesemm
//

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is just around the corner, which means that our favorite mythical creatures will soon be back in our lives. But Legolas shouldn't get all of the glory, right?
Here's a list of the mythical beings from film and TV that make us weak at the knees:
New Line Cinema via Everett Collection
Name: LegolasMythological Creature: ElfFamous From: The Lord of the Rings and The HobbitPortrayed By: Orlando BloomSo, Legolas is seriously sexy. I have no problem saying that I'm attracted to an Elf. (Okay I'm a little weirded out that I just admitted to having a crush on an Elf.) His jawline could cut a rock, his bow skills are amazingly fantastic, and J.R.R. Tolkien's description of him doesn't do our lovestruck hearts any favors: "He was as tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship."
Warner Bros.
Name: KiliMythological Creature: DwarfFamous From: The HobbitPortrayed By: Aiden TurnerSo who else wants to get down with some Dwarves? Okay, so I know that sounds creepy, but it's totally common knowledge that Kili is kind of actually attractive. Dwarves get a bad rap for being pretty dopey, squat, hairy, and a bunch of other unattractive adjectives, but Kili beats the stereotype. He's definitely someone to look forward to in the next Hobbit.
Warner Bros.
Name: GaladrielMythological Creature: Royal Elf (I don't know why the distinction is necessary; it just is.)Famous From: The Lord of the RingsPortrayed By: Cate BlanchettBy definition Galadriel is ethereal: Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world. With her golden hair, snow-white skin, and piercing blue eyes, she's what elf dreams are made of. Plus, she's seriously powerful, and there's nothing better than a powerful woman.
Twentieth Century Fox Film
Name: NeytiriMythological Creature: Na’vi princessFamous From: AvatarPortrayed By: Zoe SaldanaYes, she's blue. I totally get that. But, she's also beautiful, skilled in combat, and extremely sassy. And even if we don't actually get to see Zoe Saldana, we're always very aware that she's what makes this Na'vi princess so gorgeous.
Paramount Pictures
Name: Thor Mythological Creature: A Norse GodFamous From: ThorPortrayed By: Chris HemsworthThor is literally a god. Like an actual god. According to Wikipedia, in Norse mythology, Thor is a "hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility." Fertility, ladies. Fertility. Add on the face, body, muscles, and voice of Chris Hemseworth and we've got a serious winner on our hands.
Lionsgate
Name: HerculesMythological Creature: A Half-GodFamous From: The Legend of HerculesPortrayed By: Kellan LutzOkay, so he's only a half-god, but that's more god than most people can claim to be. He's amazingly strong, and he loves to go on adventures. And who wants to bet that his online dating profile says he loves "long walks on the beach"? (The Legend of Hercules is set to come out in 2014.)
HBO
Name: Eric NorthmanMythological Creature: VampireFamous From: True BloodPortrayed By: Alexander SkarsgardWe're not talking about Twilight vampires over here, we're talking about True Blood vamps. And obviously the steamiest vamp around — well, besides Pam — is Eric Northman. He hardly ever wears a shirt and deep down, under all of that pent up anger, is a heart that yearns for someone to love.
HBO
Name: Alcide HerveauxMythological Creature: WerewolfFamous From: True BloodPortrayed By: Joe ManganielloIf vamps aren't your thing, then you might want to check out their mortal (or, I guess, non-mortal) enemies: Werewolves. Also prone to not wearing a shirt is Bon Temps very own Alcide Herveaux. Just look at that scruff.
Warner Bros.
Name: Cormac McLaggenMythological Creature: WizardFamous From: Harry PotterPortrayed By: Freddie StromaCormac is totally a pompous jerk, but he's a very attractive pompous jerk. And if you can't get past his self-righteousness, then look no further than my second favorite wizard, Oliver Wood. He might have only been around in the wizarding world for a short while, but he definitely captured the hearts of Hogwarts-wannabees all over the world.
HBO
Name: Daenerys TargaryenMythological Creature: She descends from dragons, so it counts.Famous From: Game of ThronesPortrayed By: Emilia ClarkeSome might say that she's not technically a mythical being, but (spoiler) she was able to survive sitting in a fire for hours. She's the mother of dragons, and she's one of the fiercest ladies to grace the world of Westeros. She's a strong woman who knows what she wants, and she looks beautiful while on her journey to claim her rightful throne. Go, Team Daenerys!
Follow @CaseyRackham
//
Follow @hollywood_com
//

Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//